“207” to Stay for Now

Note: This might count as trivia, but it could be the basis of a Lecturer’s Program!

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter produced by Maine State Senatory Stacey Gurin, District 4

The announcement by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in mid-October that Maine would be able to retain its only area code may be welcome news to many who think of “207” as more than just Maine’s area code. The PUC said the North American Numbering Plan Administrator extended the time before a new area code would be needed in Maine from 2029 to 2032.

The reason some may feel 207 is more than just an area code may reside in the fact that the entire State of Maine was one of the original 86 Numbering Plan Areas when AT&T implemented the continent-wide area code system in 1947. Through the former Bell System, a network of regional telecommunications operators, 77 area codes were assigned across the U.S. that year for automated toll calling while the Canadian provinces were given nine.

Maine was one of 40 states and provinces to have a single area code when the original plan was established. Today, Maine is one of only 11 that have been able to hold onto that distinction, joining Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. Idaho, which comes right after Maine with its 208 area code, was the last to lose that status when they added, or “overlaid,” area code 986 in 2017.

With its single area code, Maine residents have been able to keep using the standard seven-digit format. In states where additional area codes have been added, callers are required to use all 10 digits.

The fact that 207 has remained Maine’s only area code for 76 years is perhaps why it has become ubiquitous with the state. From appearing on t-shirts and hats to “207 Recipes,” the “Best of the 207” and even its own newscast brand, it has become synonymous with Maine’s identity and heritage.

That is, except for the small village of Estcourt Station in Big Twenty Township in Aroostook County, which is also the northernmost community in the U.S. east of the Great Lakes. They get their telephone service from Canada and are included in Quebec’s 418 area code.

It is estimated that North America will run out of area codes by 2051.

The Patrons Chain 1-19-2024


Articles in this edition include:

  • Find the fun as a leader
  • What makes you… you?
  • Grant money still available for raising awareness about ACP
  • Grange Foundation’s Ernestine Keiser Memorial Scholarship
  • Left Hand Grange Rings in the New Year
  • Register for National Grange/Rural Minds introduction to “Rural Mental Health Resilience” program
  • Register for the Virtual Legislative Fly-In
  • Successful kick-off to Fellowship First Friday includes soup-er recipe swap
  • Nearly 21 Million Children Expected to Receive New Grocery Benefit This Summer
  • Grange Supply Store: People, Pride & Progress book package
  • Grange Member Benefit: Nationwide Pet Insurance

Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to the Patrons Chain!

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Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. Occasionally, a weekly issue isn’t sent, so the fact that one hasn’t been posted on the MSG website doesn’t necessarily mean we skipped it! You can double-check using the link (Read the Current Issue) above. Effective 2024, we will only maintain one year of issues on the MSG website.

New Ventures Maine Free Courses

Reprinted from an e-newsletter published by Maine State Representative James White, District 30

The University of Maine at Augusta announced free online courses provided through the New Ventures Maine Program.

According to the University, Mainers looking to advance their economic mobility — from building a savings account to a new business — can access free classes and coaching through the University of Maine at Augusta’s New Ventures Program.

Upcoming free online classes include:

  • Improving Your Credit Score (Offered January 30 and March 13);
  • Making Career Choices (Offered January 10 and March 21);
  • Effective Résumé Writing (Offered February 6 and March 28);
  • Building Your Savings (Offered February 6 and March 20); and
  • Budgeting Basics (Offered January 23 and March 6).

For a complete list of New Ventures courses and to register, click here.

Technology Tip

MSG Communications Department

Here’s a discouraging word! As technology advances (including AI or artificial intelligence), everyone benefits–including the bad guys!

Stay vigilant with messages you receive.

As the bad guys discover new technology spam emails and text messages are on the increase. Think twice before hitting “unsubscribe.” Unless the email is from a legitimate organization (think commonly known names and national companies), do NOT “unsubscribe” by clicking the link in the email. If you “unsubscribe,” not only will most spammers not honor it, but they will also have confirmation that yours is a working email address. That makes it very saleable to other spammers. Using the “unsubscribe” link may actually increase the amount of spam emails you receive.

This morning (like most mornings), I received several bogus invoices, a few order confirmations for things I didn’t order, and one email allegedly from MSG Sherry asking for assistance with a matter of the utmost importance. Some junk gets automatically filtered, but typically the delete button gets quite a workout!

The best way to handle spam email is to use that handy-dandy delete button and not let it bother you. Don’t waste your time and energy!

Notes from National – January 2024

  • February 7 – Join the National Grange and Rural Minds for an introduction to the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program. Register at http://grange.biz/RMHR
  • March 18 – Join the National Grange Virtual Legislative Fly-In. Hear from Grange leaders, representatives from Congress, and issues partners about what the Grange is working on for all of rural America. Register at http://grange.biz/flyin2024
  • Please subscribe to the National Grange’s Good Day! magazine. Just $16 a year gets you access to our print or digital subscription. Learn more about the magazine at http://www.nationalgrange.org/goodday or the digital issue at http://www.issuu.com/grangegoodday. The January issue is in mailboxes across the country, and additional copies are available through the Grange Store.
  • Subscribe to the Patrons Chain and View from the Hill at http://www.nationalgrange.org/subscribe. These newsletters are released every Friday, containing information about National Grange programs, events, and more.
  • Submit an article about your Grange’s events to Philip Vonada at pvonada@nationalgrange.org. Patrons Chain articles can be sent at any point, and Good Day! deadline is on February 29th.
  • Are there topics you would like to see covered in a future Zoom from a National Grange staff member, department, or officer? Please let us know! We’re always working to ensure our topics are in line with what our members want or need to hear from us.
  • The National Grange Social Media Calendar is available. This is intended to be a guide for State and Community Granges of topics/events that may be used to enhance social media. By no means is it a suggestion to post ALL of these things, but if you’re looking to get out of a rut or expand your social media reach. This could also be a great resource for Grange Lecturers/Program Directors who are looking for new programming ideas.
  • Many National Grange events have been recorded and archived – if there’s something you missed and would like to see, please visit the National Grange YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/nationalgrange. 
  • Follow National Grange on Social Media! We’re on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and more!

Notes from National are gleaned from an email provided by Phil Vonada, National Grange Communications Director.

Maine’s Public Law Library

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter by Stacey Guerin, Maine State Senator, District 4.

The services and resources of the Maine State Law & Legislative Reference Library are free and available to all Maine citizens. Located on the second floor of the Maine State House in Augusta, the Law Library is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services include public access to the Internet and other digital resources and limited word processing.

Walk-in patrons are welcome, but Mainers from Kittery to Madawaska can request information by phone, email or U.S. mail. You can also visit their web page here. While the library cannot interpret the law or provide legal advice, staff can help with legal and legislative reference assistance with its complete collection of current and historical Maine legislative materials dating all the way back to 1820. The library also has information about federal codes and statutes as well as all U.S. states.

Exploring Traditions – January 2024

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

What is “ample form?”

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

“By command of the Worthy Master/President, I proclaim this Grange opened in ample form for promoting the welfare of our country and of mankind, and for advancing the interests, elevating the characters, and increasing the influence of all Patrons of Husbandry, by properly transacting our business and by exemplifying our principles in Faith, in Hope, in Charity and with Fidelity.”

Overseer’s Declaration, opening the Grange

A few of us are soon to engage in an event that will have great meaning. A short description is that we will be honoring a Grange member who is completing his eightieth year of Grange Membership. Since he’s currently confined to a hospice facility, we will be visiting him there. He loves his Grange Membership. His bed is surrounded with certificates and Grange memorabilia.

Either by default or self-appointment, I am in charge of this event. My goal is to do something “meaningful and memorable.” Since I know he’s not been able to participate in meetings for some time, I thought we might bring a meeting to him. Or at least something resembling a meeting. Those attending have agreed to wear sashes; that’s a start.

My Grange instincts went into high gear, and I remembered the basic requirements of a meeting. That’s the nature and part of the value of ritual. “I’ll need a flag… a Bible…”

During these considerations, I keep hearing the words of the Overseer opening a Fourth Degree meeting. “In ample form.” We won’t be conducting official business at this meeting—we’ll be honoring a man who has lived the Grange Way of Life for nearly 80 years.

“Ample form” is mentioned more than once in the opening by both the Master/President and Overseer, but the overseer uses a different phrase when closing.

By command of the Worthy Master/President, I proclaim this Grange duly closed until again lawfully opened, in Faith, in Hope, in Charity, and with Fidelity.

Overseers Declaration, closing the Grange

Hmmm! Those who know me well are probably chuckling at the realization that I’m overthinking this. But at the same time, there is value in thinking about what can be habitual and ritual. Truthfully, I’d never noticed the difference in wording. So now I’m wondering if there’s a difference between “ample form” and “legally opened.”

For our upcoming event, I’ve decided we will open in ample form. I haven’t fully decided what that means yet, but I suspect it will include the Grange Salutation and some of the opening and closing rituals. We’re not expecting any Grange Police and I don’t think it will matter to our guest of honor if we’re not “lawfully opened.”

Lest there be confusion, I am not devaluing the ritual. If anything, this is a plea for perspective. It’s also a plea for critical thinking. We should conduct business lawfully. But what constitutes ample form if we’re committing to “…promoting the welfare of our country and of mankind, and for advancing the interests, elevating the characters, and increasing the influence of all Patrons of Husbandry, and by exemplifying our principles in Faith, in Hope, in Charity, and with Fidelity.”

See what I did there?

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Communication Shorts 01-15-2024

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

January Bulletin Available!

The January Bulletin is complete and available for downloading and printing on the Program Books and Information Page.

Trenton Grange has a great new website!

In case you missed it in the links, you may want to check out the Trenton Grange Website–it’s awesome!

Don’t Forget!

Don’t forget to submit the details for a website post and event calendar listing! This is not difficult, and you get lots of free publicity!

National Grange Roster Available

The 2024 National Grange Roster is now available for download. It lists all National and State Grange Officers with contact information.

Ideas for Granges

Swap or trade programs are becoming increasingly popular. I’ve recently seen events for musicians, readers (books), cooks (recipes), and even spices! Bringing people together with a purpose sounds like a great cabin-fever reliever!

Thought for You…

“A year from now, you may wish you had started today.”

Karen Lamb

Do You Love the Grange?

The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Do You Have FOMO?

“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Communications Column – January 2024

Looking forward… communicating forward

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

So here we are, several weeks into a new year. I’m always a bit overwhelmed by the changes required when that happens. But it’s also an opportunity to look forward and think about what the new year might bring. In terms of the Maine State Grange Website, this will be an informal “State of the Site” Report.

Have you noticed? All posts and pages now have an “estimated reading time” at the top. It’s a bit of an experiment with the goal of making the site more useful. The idea is to give users some idea of how long it might take to review the post or page. It’s based on “average” reading speeds, and your mileage may vary, but we’d love to know what you think of this feature.

What you aren’t seeing is some continuing “under the hood” changes. The emphasis of these changes is to increase security and improve the speed of the site. Hopefully, you’ll notice! For one thing, we are having very little “downtime” of the site–it remains available, active, and dependable.

We recently completed an audit of Pomona and Subordinate Grange Links. For those Granges who maintain their own websites or Facebook Pages, this is designed to drive traffic to you! However, we do not want to send people to a closed business–or one that has the appearance of being closed. If nothing has been posted or updated in the past year, the link is removed. As a result of the audit, we are losing at least two Facebook Pages. I do try to contact someone from the Grange involved before removing the links. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please let me know.

By the way, we recently added links to Trenton Grange’s Website and Facebook Page. Both are excellent examples of local promotion of an active, relevant Grange! Check them out!

In a similar vein, we’ve been updating the online directory of Granges with the latest Roster Information. This is an important aspect of the site–it’s how people with an interest in the Grange find someone to contact. Currently, one contact is listed with a phone number and email address (if we have them). Under consideration for this year is the possibility of adding a second contact for each Grange. It’s more to maintain, but it doubles the chance that people can reach a Grange when they are interested!

There’s lots more going on and under consideration. Thanks to those who consistently support the site by submitting events and news. As we continue to search for ways to make the site more attractive and useful, your ideas and feedback are critical! We have limited resources but literally thousands of potential reporters and contributors. Please submit information about what’s going on in your Grange! Consider writing a short article or post about something of interest to Grangers. (We’ll be saying more about this in the future.) Tell us why you love the Grange.

What have you got for us?

► FACT: It won’t be a surprise that in 2023, October was the site’s busiest month. It might be a surprise that August was second with over 2,000 views!

Subscribe to The Maine State Grange Website!

View from the Farm – January 2024

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column includes all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.

No Need for Words

It has been a week for new beginnings at Quill’s End Farm. A new batch of 8-week-old piglets from Spring Tide Farmstead in Sedgwick arrived first. Then came two heifers from cows Pippin and Ariel.

Most times, calvings go ever so smoothly, and sometimes, well…snafu.

Pippin made a snafu. In the wee hours of Wednesday, she birthed her heifer in the coldest spot in the barn. You’ll recall we had some weather on Wednesday. By the time I arrived in the barn for morning milking, that little calf was cold, and her attempts to stand weren’t enough. Calves really need to get up and going quickly. They also need to find that magical colostrum elixir to survive and thrive. I tucked her into a warmer spot for the duration of milking time. But by the time I finished, she could barely suck on a nipple. 

Fortunately, under slightly different circumstances last year, I learned how to intubate a calf. That saved a life this week, as her first four feedings required nothing of her. Every chore time, we offered her a bottle with her mother’s warm milk. Yet on day two, even Carolyn’s hour-long effort only put four ounces into her. 

Imagine our surprise the next chore time when Carolyn tried again and the calf nursed down a litre (just over a quart here in the USA) in record time. We knew then she would make it. My heart jumped the next morning when upon my arrival in the barn, she was nursing from Mama Pippin like a champ. No more intervention needed.

In stark contrast, Ariel (Pippin’s daughter) calved this morning. I knew it would happen today because she told me.

When a dairy cow is on vacation from lactation, she does not come into the milking parlor. The cows in milk know their turn and wait at the door to the parlor accordingly. Ariel has not set her aims toward that door for two months, but she did this morning. Over the half door, she looked at me longingly as if needing attention, and then found a spot in the barn to isolate herself.

During milking time, the barn floor is devoid of bedding as it has been removed with the manure. Not until after milking, while the cows are all still eating, is fresh bedding applied to the floor. Ariel waited patiently. As soon as I bedded the best calving spot (extra thickly), she made her nest and got to work. Two hours later the calf was on her feet and looking for nourishment. 

Most times, things go ever so smoothly.

Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.